The Eternal Series Book 3 Part 1

Chapter 7

Deep down in the silent tunnels of the Earth World Realm, there was barely a sound except for trickling water and groans from prisoners imprisoned for centuries. Bone-bared cells with concrete floors lined five tunnels, and the air was damp and cold, sending shivers down the spines of those who went down there. The bones were from ancient creatures that once ruled the realm and were sturdy as stone. At the end of the last tunnel stood a large metal door that led to the castle, and a control panel was on the wall next to it.

This place was the prison of the Earth World Realm. Ancient blue stones that mysteriously never stopped glowing lit the place dimly and were placed strategically along the rock walls. The Diggers who had been down there for centuries lived off of the bugs that crawled, and each cell had a trickle of fresh water from the ceiling.

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Dig leaned against the wall of his cell, muttering to himself. He hoped Haven found Ray and were on their way back. The Spirit Guardian didn’t know what had become of his world and wondered if any survivors were out there. He wondered how they must feel if there were, not knowing that help was on the way. Dig’s people needed him, but he couldn’t get to them because Belhazur trapped him in the dark, dingy cell.

“Damn it!” Dig exclaimed and hung his head.

“Dig? Is that you?” asked a voice, and Dig raised his head.

The male voice sounded like it was coming from the next cell. Curiously, Dog crawled to the bars and looked through them. He didn’t see anyone and made a face.

“Who’s asking?”

“Brother, it’s me.”

The Spirit Guardian’s eyes widened as an older man with white hair, and crystal blue eyes appeared out of the shadows. Dig’s mouth started to dry, and he felt anxiety creep up his spine. He couldn’t believe that he was looking at his brother Jared. When they were younger, Jared had disappeared, and some men in suits came by the house. They told Dig and their parents that he had died. Jared looked at his brother and chuckled.

“What’s the matter? You look like you have seen a ghost,” he laughed, and Dig swallowed hard.

“You’re alive? This is where you have been all this time?”

Jared’s smile faded, and he nodded. Then gave the Spirit Guardian a puzzled look.

“Yes. You didn’t know?”

Dig shook his head, and Jared looked at his brother thoughtfully.

“Enough about me. What are you doing down here?”

Dig looked at his brother and sighed.

“Belhazur has escaped and has taken over the four world realms,” he explained, and Jared looked at him in question.

“How?”

“The Guardian of Fire has a half-demon brother, who is the half-twit that let out the king of Chaos. After that, Belhazur appeared and sent me down here.”

Jared thought about the Fire Guardian, Blaze, for a moment and smiled. He remembered how happy she made his brother before they had turned into the guardians. Jared couldn’t help but smile at Dig.

“How is Blaze? I didn’t know she had a brother.”

Dig stared at Jared in awe momentarily and realized his brother had been down there so long that he didn’t know he, Breeze, Blaze, and Rush were no longer the guardians. Dig looked at his brother thoughtfully.

“No, brother. Sadly, Rush, Breeze, Blaze, and myself were killed in battle. We have become the Spirit Guardians to the world realms and guides for the new ones that have taken our place,” explained Dig, and Jared looked at him sadly.

“You died?” he asked, and the Spirit Guardian nodded.

“But, the gods gave me a second chance. A lot has happened that you don’t know about,” added Dig.

Jared smiled, gesturing to his cell.

“I don’t think we are going anywhere any time soon, so why don’t you tell me everything that I have missed,” he suggested, and Dig nodded.

That evening, Dig explained everything about the guardians and current events that he missed.

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Ray, Have, and Isabel opened the door and peered out. They didn’t see any sign of Duggers to the Basilis, so they cautiously walked outside, heading to the next set of buildings. Suddenly, they heard a noise, and Isabel hid behind one of the structures, and Ray and Haven hid behind the one across the street. Slowly, Ray peered around the corner and saw two Duggers headed their way.

The Earth Guardian looked at Isabel and saw that she was looking at the monsters too. Isabel looked over at him, and they nodded. She took a deep breath and shook the building anxiety, and Ray looked at his Fairy Guardian and gave her a knowing look. Isabel looked over at him, and they nodded.

“You better scat!” he stated, and Haven nodded.

Ray watched the fairy flutter high in the sky and then looked at Isabel. Knowingly, the girl nodded and pulled out her whip. Ray threw out his arms, making the claws appear, and he and Isabel stepped out from behind the buildings.

The Duggers saw them and hitched forward, snarling aggressively. Isabel quickly glanced at Ray and then charged at one of the beasts. The creature growled and charged back at her. Swiftly, she snapped her whip, stepping into the throw, and the end of the whip wrapped around the Dugger’s throat. Excitement began to build as Isabel got the creature on the first try, but she knew she had to follow through before celebrating her small victory.

Isabel pulled the whip back as hard as she could, and the tail of the whip tightened around the monster’s neck. The Dugger snarled at her and then began wailing in pain. It tried to claw her, but Isabel pulled the weapon even tighter. Suddenly, the beast’s eyes widened, and she watched as her weapon decapitated the Dugger. Isabel made a disgusted face as the head fell off and rolled toward her. Then the monster disappeared.

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The Dugger punched Ray in the jaw, and his head snapped to the side. He spat blood out of his mouth and angrily looked at the beast. Furiously, Ray roared and stabbed both claws into the creature’s chest. The monster stared at the Earth Guardian with wide eyes as it screeched, shaking violently. Ray gritted his teeth as he stared at the beast until it disappeared. Breathing heavily, he thought about Riah.

Ray hoped that she was okay and wasn’t having as hard of a time as he was. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned and snarled. Isabel looked at him in fear, and he blew a breath.

“Sorry,” Ray breathed, and Isabel only nodded.

Haven saw the battles were over and fluttered down to Ray and Isabel.

“That was impressive!” chimed the fairy, and Isabel grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“I know! I can’t believe I did the whip thing on the first try again!” she exclaimed and looked at Ray.

He grinned at her and nodded.

“Yes, I agree. That was pretty amazing!” the Earth Guardian chimed, and Isabel blushed.

“Thanks to your training. I think we make a pretty good team,” Isabel stated, and Haven agreed.

“Yeah, we do. Now that you have come to your senses,” teased Ray, and Isabel fist bumped his shoulder.

Ray shook his head and laughed.

“Come on. Let’s keep moving,” stated the green fairy, and Ray and Isabel nodded.

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Cautiously, Haven led Ray and Isabel toward the prison entrance, and everything seemed eerily quiet. Soon they stood in front of a large metal hatch with a wheel mechanism on top of it.

“There it is!” exclaimed Haven as she pointed to the big metal door.

Ray glanced at Isabel and his Fairy Guardian and then walked over to the hatch. He put his hands on each side of the wheel and tried to turn it, but the wheel didn’t budge, and he tried again. Ray grunted in frustration and looked at Haven.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, and Ray looked at the fairy thoughtfully, dusting off his hands.

“The wheel won’t turn. It’s stuck,” he explained.

Before Isabel could breathe a word, they heard grunting noises and turned their heads. A large group of Duggers was headed toward them, and Haven looked at Ray with wide eyes.

“Well, you had better find a way to get it unstuck and fast! There are too many,” Haven said frantically, and Isabel started jumping up and down.

“Come on, Ray! I don’t want to die!” she exclaimed.

Ray quickly glanced at the oncoming creatures and saw that Haven was right. It was a group of at least twenty monsters, and there was no way that he and Isabel could fight them all. He took a deep breath, grabbed the wheel, and turned it with all his strength. Again, the mechanism didn’t budge, and Ray growled. Then, he closed his eyes and centered his energy.

The Earth Element surged through Ray, and he felt his powers grow.

“Ray! What are you doing? They are getting closer!” screamed Isabel.

Suddenly, Ray opened his eyes, and Isabel stared at him. His eyes were glowing bright green, and he ignored her as he inhaled a deep breath. Ray grabbed the mechanism tightly and snarled as he turned the wheel. Surprisingly, the wheel began to turn with a groan, and the Guardian of Earth spun the wheel until it stopped and clicked.

The hatched opened, and the Duggers were not far from them. Snarling and growling and lurking faster. Ray looked at Haven and Isabel, gesturing to the open hatch.

“Go!” he yelled, and the fairy and Isabel jumped into the dark hole.

Ray glanced at the creatures and smirked, grabbing the handle as he jumped in after Isabel and Haven. The door closed just as the Duggers reached it. The monsters stopped and snarled angrily, clawing at the wheel, but their large claws made it impossible to grab. The creatures gave up on the door and lurked away. a